SEOUL, South Korea — The highest-ranking defector from North Korea in years said on Wednesday that the days of the country’s leadership were “numbered,” and that its attempts to control outside information were not working because of corruption and discontent.
“I am sure that more defections of my colleagues will take place, since North Korea is already on a slippery slope,” the defector, Thae Yong-ho, said during a news conference in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. “The traditional structures of the North Korean system are crumbling.”
Mr. Thae had been the North’s No. 2 diplomat in London until he fled to the South last summer with his family. South Korea has hailed his defection as a sign of growing disillusionment among North Korean elites with the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un. Since December, Mr. Thae has given a series of interviews to share his dire view of North Korea today.
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Editor: Historically …. brutal dictatorships like North Korea’s are very resilient when it comes to keeping power. That they only become vulnerable when neighboring countries decide to get involved. Will North Korea collapse …. from my vantage point I do not see that happening soon …. North Korean leader Kim Jing-Un is too protected to be assassinated or overthrown.
More News On The Stability of North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un’s Regime
North Korean elite turning against leader Kim: defector — Reuters
Days of N. Korea’s Kim are numbered: defector — AFP
People will rise against N Korean regime, says defector — BBC
North Korea Defector Says Elite Turning Their Backs On Kim Jong Un — NBC
North Korean Defector Says Kim Jong Un Can’t Last — WSJ
Ex-diplomat: ‘I’ve known that there was no future for North Korea for a long time’ — Washington Post
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Facing Dissent From Political Elite, Says Ex-Diplomat — International Business Times
High-level North Korean defector says his sons feel free for the first time — FOX News
